End of daylight saving time and mating season a dangerous mix for drivers

Thanks to the end of daylight saving time, dusk is coming an hour earlier. But its business as usual for Alberta’s wildlife, which is in the throes of mating season.

And according to Misty Harris with the AMA that can be a deadly combination on the highways.

“I can tell you that 40% of collisions occur between 7:00pm and midnight, so it definitely makes a difference that we are on the road when it gets darker.”

Dusk is also the most active time for deer, moose, and other wildlife, and with their hormonal drive to reproduce distracting them from traffic, it makes them more likely to dart into the road.

Harris says that in Alberta “there’s an average of 323 wildlife collisions every year, with an average of six people dying as a result. Which is why AMA really wants to put a spotlight on this issue.”

Most of those crashes are in November.

The AMA says a driver’s best bet is slowing down in known wildlife crossing areas. Especially if groups of animals are spotted. If a crash is unavoidable, Harris recommends drivers duck down in the vehicle as low as possible while breaking hard. Swerving isn’t a good idea, said Harris, because that can cause collisions with other drivers. (ms, News Talk 770)